Our home should be a place of comfort and safety, not a place that is potentially more dangerous for your health than the outdoors.
However, the U.
S.
Environmental Protection Agency, or the EPA, recently completed a study that suggested that indoor air may be more hazardous for your health than outside air due to the toxic products used at home.
First, one group of products may be poisoning you are items with lead-based ingredients.
The main danger is lead-based paint, which can be used on the walls of the home or even on toys.
As the paint ages and flakes, it can release particles that you can inhale.
This can cause problems with central nervous system, kidneys, brain, and blood.
Thus, if you suspect that you have lead paint in your home, leave its removal to a professional.
Do not sand or otherwise weaken lead-based paint.
Next, volatile organic compounds can also be present in paint, but they are a component in laser and ink-jet printers and carpet as well.
Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are chemicals that are emitted from solids and liquids which can negatively affect your health.
Glues and dyes in new carpet have been linked to higher VOC emissions, and printers also give off particulates and VOCs.
Additionally, many people utilize various products to protect them against everything from microbes to moths to rodents.
Sadly, in 2006, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that they received almost 46,000 calls regarding children and pesticide poisoning.
Additionally, mothballs actually change from their solid forms to a gas which can be hazardous to your health.
Mothballs give off paradichlorobenzene or naphthalene, which causes cancer or destroys blood cells, respectively.
Some plastics have also been linked to health issues.
Bisphenol-a, or BPA, is a component in polycarbonate plastics.
This type of plastic is used to make baby bottles, which is why Canada has outlawed polycarbonate bottles.
BPA works at a hormone disrupter, which can cause neurological and developmental disorders.
On a related note, phthalates are plasticizers found in cosmetics such as hair spray, shampoo, perfume, and lotion.
This ingredient binds fragrance and color to plastic as well as imparts durability.
Like BPA, phthalates also interfere with the natural workings of the hormones.
This has been shown to "feminize" boys as well as lower their sperm count.
In girls, pthalates contributes to premature breast development.
You should be able to trust your at-home products.
However, if consumer products are mislabeled or manufactured with unsafe ingredients, this can cause injury to you and those you love.
If you have been injured by a product, you should contact a lawyer about product liability.
For more information, check out the trusted personal injury firm of Habush Habush & Rottier, S.
C.
, today.